


Sometimes There Are Happy Endings

by HollowHearted



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies)
Genre: Character Death Fix, Happy Ending, M/M, Page 250 Rewrite, Post-The Death Cure, The Death Cure Spoilers, sad Thomas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 00:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13647888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollowHearted/pseuds/HollowHearted
Summary: DEATH CURE SPOILERS!!!!! Based on the movie and the idea that what happened to Gally could happen to Newt. ;)





	Sometimes There Are Happy Endings

Newt stood up, facing away from me. 

"Newt?" I asked, panting. He turned around. His eyes were solid black, as well as the veins in his face. He let out a roar and attacked me. I dodged and he fell to the ground, rolling to face me.

"Newt! It's me! It's me!" I yelled as he charged me again, taking me to the ground. I rolled away and stood up. He did, too, and charged me again. I had to punch him.

As he half-knelt, panting, he shouted, "Tommy! Kill me!"

He charged me again. This time he pinned me down, straddling me. I fought to grab his hands, and he stopped struggling, eyes clearing a bit.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Newt. It's okay," I said, releasing his hands. Minho would be back with the serum any second now and we could fix this. Newt would be okay. 

Newt whipped his pistol from its holster, cocked it, and held it to his head. He looked ready to cry. 

"NO!" I knocked it away and Newt roared again. I pushed him away. He pulled out a knife, looked at it for a moment, and then tried to slash me across the torso. All I could do was jump backward and pray that Minho would hurry up. I didn't want to hurt Newt. 

I fell, and Newt brought the knife down directly to my heart. I grabbed his wrists just in time. He fought me, and the knife just barely went through my skin. I yelled in pain. I managed to throw him off and jumped up from the ground. He slashed at me wildly, and then lunged at me. I heard a sickening sound and Newt's grip on my shoulder relaxed, as if he were just giving me a hug. He panted. 

I pulled back, terrified. The dagger was buried to the hilt in Newt's chest. Newt's hand fell away from the handle. No no no no nonono!!!!! This wasn't supposed to happen! Minho was supposed to be here!

His gaze held no animosity, no anger or hurt. He just gazed with those black eyes that should have been a warm chocolate brown. "Tommy..." He started to fall backward.

"No! No! No!" I caught him and lowered him as gently as I could, but it was too late. Newt was gone. His eyes were glazed, fixed. He was dead. 

"Newt..." I whispered. 

Running footsteps slowed and I looked up to see Brenda. She had the serum. I stared at her as the tears began to flow. Newt was _dead._ Newt was shucking _dead._

I stood up and got the gun I'd knocked from Newt's hand. At first I wanted to shoot Brenda for not having been faster. Then I looked at Newt. He wouldn't have wanted that. I backed away, finally tearing my gaze from him and turning tp run back to WICKED HQ. Ava Paige would die for this.

***

I lay in a daze, my vision black around the edges. I was aware of someone being near me, but that was all. Eventually they left. I took one shallow breath after another. Where was Tommy? 

"Oh, shit!"

"What?"

"Look!"

"He's dead, Lucas, come on!"

"No, he's not."

Footsteps got closer and closer. I fought to move, just to prove I was alive. 

"His eyes are glazed over and he's a crank anyway."

"We've got some serum. There's a pulse, feel for yourself."

I couldn't feel a thing. I just hoped that this Lucas shank would be able to help me. I had to find Tommy. 

"Come on, we've got to get him up."

"Lucas, he's dying."

"And we have a Berg ambulance! I guarantee you'd want help if you were in his place. We've still got time as long as the dagger keeps the blood from flowing. It looks like a quick, clean stab, but he's going to die if we don't hurry."

"Fine."

I passed out as they pulled me from the ground. At least Tommy had my letter.

***

I passed out in Vince's arms. Minho and Brenda were right there, but not Newt. Not Newt because I had failed him. If I'd just been a bit more forceful in insisting he stay with Gally. If I'd just been a little stronger and could've carried him to the Berg. But I hadn't, and he was dead. Maybe I'd see him when I died. And Chuck. And Winston. And Teresa. And Alby. And all the others I'd gotten killed. I wondered if they'd forgive me.

When I woke up I was bandaged up in a driftwood shack. Not heaven. I walked outside. There was a beach, and a lovely little community similar to the Glade. Lots of girls and boys. I found Minho, and judging by the look on his face, he knew. He hugged me. I didn't deserve it. I'd killed his best friend, I really had. Maybe Newt had stabbed himself, but it was my fault.

When I read Newt's letter I slipped away to the beach and cried my heart out. I'd killed him. And now that he was gone I realized how much he'd really meant to me. I _loved_ him. And I'd lost him. 

I carved Teresa's name into the stone. At the very last she had saved me, though I don't know what drove me to kiss her. 

Life on the Beach, as we called it, was dull and pointless to me without him. Even Minho couldn't cheer me up. Or Sonya. I had a feeling she was Newt's sister. They were very similar. But looking at her, interacting with her just made me miss him more. I made a ritual of saying, "I'm sorry, Newt. I miss you," every night before I went to sleep. And I dreamt of him. Every night. From when we met in the Glade to escaping the Maze to fleeing through the Scorch. Just little moments we had. And it hurt. So _much._

***

I blinked my eyes open. A bright light shone directly into my eyes.

"Bloody hell," I grumbled, bringing a hand up to block it. 

"He's awake! I told you he'd pull through."

A lanky brunet came over and switched the light off. He sat down beside the bed I was in.

"How're ya feelin'?"

"Terrible."

He laughed. "Well, we got to you just in time. You should be right as rain in a few days. Medical technology is awesome. Is there anywhere we can take you? Got any friends anywhere?"

"Not anymore. I tried to kill my best friend. Nearly did."

"The Flare getcha?"

"Yes. I just couldn't stop myself."

"Well, it wasn't your fault then. He stab ya?"

"No, I did that. I wasn't going to risk hurting him any worse."

"Dang, dude. That's some serious bromance right there."

I rolled my eyes. This shank was bloody annoying. "There's a harbor to the west. They should be there."

"West of the city?"

"Yes."

"We're a long way north of the city, bro."

"Well, if you aren't going to take me where I want to go, let me off this thing so I can walk."

"You are in no shape to walk that far. We'll take you."

"Thanks," I snapped. 

"Someone's a little...cranky."

"Lucas, that is not remotely funny. Get up here and fly for a while."

Lucas left and was replaced by an equally lanky almost identical brunet. His hair was longer, but that was the only difference between them that I could see. 

"I'm Mark, Lucas' twin."

"You're the one who wanted to leave me to die."

He looked shocked. "How?"

"I was sort of conscious at that point. Thanks for changing your mind."

"Yeah, uh, no problem. If I bring you a map, can you point out where you think this harbor is?"

"I think so." 

We found the harbor and Mark said it would take about a week to get there. I was anxious to get there as quickly as possible, but also happy that it wouldn't take any longer than that. I needed to find Tommy and tell him I was okay. That I was sorry. The look on his face when I started to fall haunted me at night. Desperation.

***

I reread Newt's letter every day now. I missed him so much. I wasn't eating properly, I wasn't sleeping, and I just didn't care about anything. I helped on the Beach, building more shacks, clearing more land, looking for food, etc. but nothing helped. It had been three weeks since I woke up. Minho kept an eye on me, but didn't interfere with my grief. I appreciated that. 

I kept having dreams about him. Terrible dreams where he died and dreams where he was alright and we were together. Dreams that we hung out on the Beach and did the same stuff we would've in the Glade. I would linger around the places we'd stood in the dream the next day, longing. Aching. 

Brenda, Aris, Sonya, and Harriet did what they could to cheer me up, and I was getting good at a fake smile, but I never really felt any better. I kept thinking I heard his voice or saw him out of the corner of my eye. And that reopened the emotional wounds all over again. I thought the grief would lessen with time, but it seemed to grow. I wished that I'd realized my feelings sooner and had told him. I'd always been attracted to him, but never acted on it. There were moments when I was sure it was mutual, but stupid, stupid shuckfaced me had never done anything about it.

I went swimming sometimes, just to get away from everyone. I would swim all the way out to the ship, rest for a while, and swim back. Minho went for runs along the shoreline. I joined him occasionally, but not often. For the most part I avoided him. He'd given Newt a second chance and I had taken that away from him. 

***

I kicked the oil barrel as hard as I could, letting out a crank-worthy yell. They were gone. We were too late and they were bloody gone. I fell to my knees, defeated. Hopeless. Tears pricked the back of my eyes and my nose burned. I took a few deep breaths. I was not going to cry in front of these shanks. Vince had sailed away and I had been left behind. I'd probably never see them again. Not Tommy, or Minho, or Fry, or even Brenda.

"D'you have any idea where they might've gone?"

"North, Vince said," I replied sullenly.

"Well, we can look for them. It's only been a few weeks since we picked you up. They can't've gone too far."

I glumly got back in the Berg, without another word. I was silent for the rest of the day. We flew north until it got dark and landed on the coast. Vince would turn out all the lights if he heard a Berg and we'd never find them, so it made more sense to stop at night. 

The next day we made more progress. We could see some islands in the distance from a certain height. Maybe they would be camped out there.

We traveled for days, flying high up so we could see more, but there was no sign of the ship. Mark found some maps of the coastline and suggested we trying bearing further west. There were some larger islands that way, where it was more likely they would be, according to him. 

It took us another week to reach the first of them. We landed for food and water. There was no sign of habitation and my hopes were sinking and sinking. Maybe I'd never see Tommy and Minho again. I didn't want that to be the case, but it seemed like the likeliest scenario at this point.

***

Thomas was depressed, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was hurting as much as he was, but I had to be strong and not show it. Thomas, as everyone but Newt and himself knew, had loved the shank and had a right to grieve. He deserved a break from leadership, anyway. Vince and Jorge were there, but sometimes an intermediary between the generations was needed, a.k.a. me. 

I went running along the Beach most days. I wasn't trying to outrun my problems, but it cleared my head a bit, and it helped to get me away from the others when I needed space. It wasn't like I didn't cry my shuck eyes out sometimes thinking of Newt's corpse laying there, staring up at the sky. If I'd just run a little faster. We all needed him so badly, and I'd shucked up and now he was dead.

Today I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hardly realized it was getting dark until my instinctual Runner clock alerted me to the fact. I stopped, realizing how tired I was. I bent over, panting for breath. I heard a whirring in the distance and held my breath for a few seconds so I could hear better. A Berg. I was too far away to warn the others in time. The shuck was a Berg doing out here anyway? 

*** 

We landed for the night on one of the islands. I went out for some fresh air and looked up at the stars. There were so many out here. I just wished I could follow one to Tommy and Minho and the others. I didn't even know if they were alive, but Vince had sailed, so at least some of my friends had to be out here somewhere. I turned around with a sigh, deciding to go back in and get some sleep. I froze when I saw a figure on the beach. A familiar figure that I ran towards as fast as I could. 

I threw myself into Minho's arms with a sob. I held him tight enough I thought I'd suffocate him. I pulled back, trying to stop the sudden flow of tears. I'd found Minho. I'd _found_ him.

"Newt?" he whispered, frozen.

I nodded. 

"Is this real?"

I nodded again, more tears sliding down my cheeks. I didn't bother brushing them away. He pulled me back in close. 

"I thought you were dead, you shank."

"I thought I'd never bloody see you again."

"They're gonna be so glad to see you."

I pulled back. 

"Tommy..." I bit my lip, hoping to high heaven he was here too.

"Is pining. He'll cheer up when he sees you again, though."

I was flooded with relief so strong it surprised me.

"He's okay, though? Did we all make it out?"

"Yes, we did. Frypan, Gally, and all those shanks you rescued from that train. Sonya, Harriet, Aris, and the other Group B shanks, too."

I hugged him again. 

"I'm so bloody glad to hear that."

"I'm glad to see you. How the shuck did you make it?"

"Same way Gally did, I guess. Got picked up and nursed back to health. Mark and Lucas have the Berg. They brought me out here."

"Not more shuck boys. They're fighting over the girls enough as it is."

I laughed, something I hadn't done in...a year or more? 

"How far is it to wherever it is you live?"

"Several hours run. I started running around lunchtime. It takes a lot to maintain this level of perfection out here."

Usually I would've rolled my eyes and had some sort of snarky comeback, but not tonight. Tonight I was just too happy to see him, standing here on this bloody island that I just happened to land on. "Can we land nearby?"

"Yeah, there's a hill back behind everything. You won't blow sand everywhere if you land there."

"Well, let's go."

We flew back to the Beach, as they called it, and it looked a lot like the Glade from the air. It looked like a home. Somewhere people could be at peace. That was just what we needed now. Peace.

Minho explained the Beach and apologized for not having gotten to Brenda in time. I told him it wasn't his fault, and of course it wasn't. I should've stayed with Gally when Tommy told me to. He also told me Teresa was dead and that Tommy's blood could cure the Flare. I had mixed feelings about Teresa's death. A part of me felt bad for Tommy, and a part of me was glad the shuck traitor was gone.

When we landed Minho went out first to calm the panicked teenagers down. I didn't blame them for being scared. We had just landed a WICKED Berg in their backyard with no warning. They were still nervous until I came out. Then I was tackle-hugged by six people at once. When I was finally let go Gally shook my hand and said it was good to have me back. They immediately insisted I get some sleep and we could talk in the morning, which surprised me. I had expected to be up all night telling the story again and again, but I was grateful for the rest. I hadn't been sleeping well since it happened.

Tommy wasn't with the others. I found Minho and insisted that I see him.

"Fine, but you need to tell the shank."

"Tell him what?" I frowned.

"That you've loved him from the start. Honestly!" He rolled his eyes. "The tension between you two would be visible all the way across the Scorch to anyone who cared to look."

I shook my head sadly. "He wouldn't want me, Minho. I've told you all along. I'm the lanky kid with the limp and the accent that people have a hard time understanding. Besides, he and Teresa were a thing. He's grieving over her as much as me, probably more, and I don't think he even likes boys."

"You're accent isn't that strong. If I were into that sort of thing I'd think it was hot. And believe me, you mean more to him than Teresa ever did. Just shucking tell him already. "

We ducked into one of the shacks and my breath caught. Tommy was fast asleep on a cot. He was thin, much too thin. So thin his cheeks were hollow. There were circles under his eyes that were such a dark purple they looked black. My poor little Tommy. My poor, poor little Tommy.

"He hasn't slept in days," Minho whispered. "And he hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep since we got here."

"Well, I won't wake him then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll keep the shanks away in the morning so you can sleep in."

"Thanks."

He nodded and left. I cautiously stepped closer to the cot. I ran my fingers through Tommy's hair and lay down to spoon him, fondness for him overwhelming me. I nuzzled the back of his neck, drinking in his scent and hoping he'd sense my presence and that it would help him sleep. My poor little Tommy. 

***

I woke up feeling surprisingly at peace. Then I realized there was a warm body snuggled up behind me and an arm around me. It was a boy's arm, sleeved in a shirt I knew all too well. My heart started to pound and my breath quickened. Please let this be real. Please. I closed my eyes for a few moments, then rolled over.

I gasped. It was Newt. Sleeping peacefully with no sign of the Flare. My beautiful, sweet, charming Newt, right here in front of me. He opened his eyes and they were their usual warm chocolate brown. 

I wrapped my arms around him and cried into his shoulder, repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again. It was too much, too good to be true. But it felt so real. His arms around me felt _so real._

"Tommy..." he said at one point, trying to soothe me. But it was _his voice_ , his beautiful, rich, British voice that I'd missed _so much_ and I cried even harder.

Eventually he pulled back, hands moving to my face and making me look him in the eye. He looked like the Newt I'd met in the Glade, the warm, cheerful Newt I'd started to fall in love with. More tears slipped down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. 

He shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Tommy. I don't understand."

"I stabbed you! And left you there to die! If I'd just been a little stronger I could've gotten you to the Berg and you would've been fine." 

His eyes softened. "You blame yourself."

"It was my fault."

He hugged me, cheek pressed against mine. I closed my eyes, trying to memorize the feel of him. He was warm and real and here. He was alive. He was rubbing my back and I finally felt safe again. The Beach could be a home if I had Newt. 

"I stabbed myself, Tommy. I came to myself at the last second and turned the knife. I would've killed _you_ otherwise, and I couldn't have that. It wasn't your fault." I could feel his warm breath on my skin. This was _real_.

"It was, though. I could've gotten you to the Berg."

He didn't pull away, just kept rubbing lazy circles on my back. "You could've gotten me a bit closer, but I still would've cranked out on you. You did nothing wrong, Tommy. I don't blame you for any of it."

I shifted to look him in the eye. He met my gaze and held it for a long moment. He really didn't hate me.

***

Tommy was staring at me with a strange expression that hurt to look at. It was a combination of relief, sadness, and pain. I couldn't help leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his lips. When his arms went around me and he responded needily I knew I'd done the right thing and that I didn't have to be scared of loving him anymore. I tangled my fingers in his hair, parting my lips as an invitation. He licked into my mouth and it felt so right. So perfect, almost as though it was predestined to happen. 

When we eventually broke apart for air, Tommy looked wrecked, lips kiss swollen and hair a dishevelled mess. I was sure I looked about the same. 

"I love you," I said, hardly thinking about it. It needed to be said. I'd spent too long hoping Tommy knew without me saying, regretted not putting it in my letter for too long.

He leaned his head against mine.

"I love you, too." 

I closed my eyes and smiled, content.

"Newt..." Tommy said a few minutes later. His voice cracked and he sounded scared. My eyes flew open. 

He was staring at my arm. My sleeve had ridden up and black veins were visible underneath. Tommy jumped up and ran out the door. I stared at the veins. This couldn't be happening again. Not so soon. Mark had given me serum when they picked me up. The stuff was supposed to work for a few months. It had only been weeks. 

Moments later Tommy flew in and skidded to a stop just short of the bed. He was holding a syringe of serum. I held my arm out and let him inject me. The veins began to lighten and eventually disappeared. That was quick. Tommy looked relieved, and finally caught his breath. 

I looked up at him. There were tears in his eyes. 

"I was the cure, Newt. You're safe now. It's all over." 

I stood up and kissed him, pressing as close to him as I could. We had finally found peace, and finally admitted our love. Everything was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> I have seen the number 250 waaaaayyyy too many times lately. I went on a road trip. Mile markers that say 250, exit 250, randomly glancing at the clock and it being 250, 250 miles till the gas tank is empty. I saw TDC in the IMAX theater!!!! WOW!!!! There were four other people in the theater. I could hardly believe it. I got the perfect seat. Wow, just wow. What an awesome movie. Not much like the book, but still amazing. I cried over Newt's letter, and then cried more when I realized the last word of the movie was "Newt."


End file.
